Ship&#39;s deck-seat.



G. RITSON.

SHIPS DECK SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED 001231, 1914. EJ26 239 Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

3 SHBETSSHEET 1.

JZW'W 2? "'rlE NORRIS PETERS c0. FHOTO-LITHO. WASHING7ON D l4.

G. RITSON.

SHIPS DECK SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED 00131, 1914.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. RITSON.

SHIPS DECK SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 31, 1914.

1,1%6,283. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIG. a:

,Fyms

HE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-THO. WASHINGTON. D. c.

CU'IHBERT RITSON, 0F BLY'lI-I, ENGLAND.

SHIP S DECK-SEAT.

masses.

Application filed October 31, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CUTHBERT RITsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 82 Plessy road, Blyth, in the county of Northurnberland, England, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Ships Deck-Seats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ships deck seats of the type provided with buoyant tanks and adapted to form rafts upon emergency, and the present invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of such deck seats.

According to this invention I arrange back-to-back two seats each comprising a lower box-like portion inclosing a buoyant tank or tanks and forming the seat proper and an upper portion forming a back to the seat, the upper or back portions of the two seats being hinged together at the top and the lower or tank portions of the two seats being hinged together at the bottom, and each of said back portions being hinged at its lower back edge to the upper back edge of its complementary tank portion, the four portions of the two seats forming the four members of an approximately square frame normally closed together in a vertical position, the arrangement being such that when said seats are waterborne, the four portions thereof automatically turn upon their hinges from the center outward and close together in a horizontal position so that the back portions of the two seats together form a raft resting upon the tank portions of the seats.

I will fully describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure l is a front elevation, Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is an end view of one construction of deck seat embodying my invention, the seat being shown in its normal position upon the deck of a ship. Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 illustrating the way in which the seat turns upon its pivots when waterborne; and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are similar views to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 respectively show ing the raft formed by the seat when waterborne.

Referring to the drawings, I provide two seats each comprising a lower box-like portion a; formed of end members 6 connected together by wooden slats c inclosing a metal air tank or tanks 0? and forming the seat Specification of Letters Patent.

la'tented Jan. 26, rare. Serial no. 869,577.

proper, and an upper L-shaped portion 6, the vertlcal member of which is composed of slats f and forms a back to the seat and the horizontal member 9 of which extends approxlmately half-way across the top of the tank portion a. The back portion 6 is provided with end members it and with angle bars j which are connected at their lower ends by pivots it to the inner ends of bars m provided along the upper edge of the tank portion a thus hinging the lower back edge of the back portion 6 to the upper back edge of the tank portion a. The two seats are arranged back to back, and the end members it of the back portions 6 thereof are connected together by pivots n at the top. The tank portions a of the two seats are provided along their lower edges with bars 0 which are connected together at their inner ends by pivoted links 37. The back portions 6 and the tank proportioned and together form the four members of an approximately square frame which is normally closed together in a vertical position as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 so that the horizontal members 9 of the back portions 6 rest upon the tops of the tank portions a to form the deck seats. Immediately, however, the two seats become waterborne, the tank portions a thereof, which are of greater height than width, automatically turn upon the pivots of the links 39 from the center outward and cause the back portions 6 to also turn upon their pivots 7c and a from the center outward as shown in Fig. l, and the four portions of the two seats close together in a horizontal position so that the slats f of the vertical members of the back portions 6 now lie horizontally upon the back sides of the tank portions (4 and together form a raft, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the horizontal members 9 and end members it of the back portions 6 forming an upwardly projecting rim or ledge around the raft. Catches Q are pivoted upon the angle bars of the back portions 6 adapted to automatically engage notches r in plates 8 upon the end members of the tank portions when same assume their horizontal positions and so look the four portions of the seat in the horizontal posii tion. The catches g are intended to operate by gravity, but, if desired, springs may be provided to normally keep them in the vertical position. Pins or other stops may be provided if desired upon the back portions portions a of the seats are suitably 6 to limit the lateral movements of the catches g.

Life-lines 15 may be provided along the horizontal members 9 of the two back portions 6 which form the rim of the raft, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, said life-lines being normally housed between the members 9 and the tops of the tanks (Z. Provision and water tanks may, if desired, be provided be tween the members 9 and the tops of the tanks (Z which will be correspondingly decreased in height to permit of this.

The wooden slat M which covers the front half of the top of the tank portion a of each seat is suitably hinged (as indicated at o) along its outer edge to the slat 10 forming the upper front edge of said tank portion, and to the ends of said hinged slats are pivoted slotted links 09 with which engage pins y on the end members I) of the tank portions, the arrangement being such that, when the four portions of the two seats assume their horizontal positions to form a raft, said hinged slats fall outward and are supported in a horizontal position by said slotted links :0 as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The slots in the links 00 are provided at their inner ends with portions 2 at right angles into which the pins 3 slip to lock the hinged slats u in their horizontal positions.

. Rods 2 are provided near the front edges of the end members 6 of the tank portions 0;, and, in some cases weights may be mounted near the upper ends of said rods with the object of insuring that said tank portions will immediately turn into their horizontal positions when waterborne; or plates or bars may be provided along the upper front edges of the tank portions or said edges may be weighted in any other manner with the same object; or narrow chambers may be provided along the front of the air tanks, said chambers having openings at a suitable height so that, when the seats are waterborne, water will enter said chambers and by increasing the weight of the front edges of the tank portions will increase the tendency of said tank portions to assume their horizontal positions. The deck seats will normally rest upon the deck of the ship which is indicated at 3 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and any motion due to the rolling or pitching of the ship will be prevented by cleats, brackets or other stops such as ":i: arranged so as to engage the outer corners of the tank portions of said seats, which cleats will not prevent said seats floating off the deck should the ship sink.

It will now be seen that, with a ship provided with my improved deck seats, should any danger of the ship sinking arise, the seats can be readily collapsed to form rafts, and in the event of there not being time to form the seats into rafts, the seats will float off the decks of the ship, and immediately the seats are waterborne, the four portions thereof will automatically assume their horizontal positions to form a raft. Moreover the hinged side slats u will fall into their horizontal positions along the sides of the raft, and will not only improve the transverse stability ofthe raft, but will also form steps or rests whereby any person in the water who may be able to reach the raft will be enabled to climb onto same, and the upwardly projecting rim or ledge around the raft formed by the horizontal members 9 and end members it of the back portions of the two seats will tend to prevent any person upon the raft being washed overboard by heavy seas.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Deck seats for ships comprising two buoyant box-like members disposed side by side and hinged together at their lower adjacent edges, a back member disposed on each box-like member, said back members being disposed back to back and hinged together at their upper edges, each back memher being hinged to the upper adjacent edges of the box-like members, whereby the bottoms of the box-like members become adjacent opposing faces and the opposing adjacent faces of the box-like members become the tops of the box-like members and the backs lie on said tops in a horizontal position when the deck seat is converted into a raft.

2. Deck seats for ships comprising two buoyant box-like members disposed side by side and hinged together at their lower adjacent edges, said box-like members being of greater height than width when in the form of a seat, a back member disposed on each box-like member, said back members being disposed back to back and hinged together at their upper edges, each back member being hinged to the upper adjacent edges of the box-like members, whereby the bottoms of the box-like members become adjacent opposing faces and the opposing adjacent faces of the box-like members become the tops of the box-like members and the backs lie 011 said tops in a horizontal positiofn when the deck seat is converted into a ra t.

3. Deck seats for ships comprising two box-like members disposed side by side and hinged together at their lower adjacent edges, metal air-tanks in said box-like members, a back member disposed on each boxlike member, said back members being disposed back to back and hinged together at their upper edges, each back member being hinged to the upper adjacent edges of the box-like members, whereby the bottoms of the boX-like members become adjacent opposing faces and the opposing adjacent faces of the box-like members become the tops of the box-like members and the backs lie on said tops in a horizontal position when the deck seat is converted into a raft.

a. Deck seats for ships comprising two buoyant box-like members disposed side by side and hinged together at their lower adjacent edges, a back member disposed on each box-like member, said back members being disposed back to back and hinged together at their upper edges, each back member being hinged to the upper adjacent edges of the box-like members, whereby the bottoms of the box-like members become adjacent opposing faces, and the opposing adjacent faces of the box-like members become the tops of the box-like members and the backs lie on said tops in a horizontal position when the deck seat is converted into a raft, catches on the back members and notches on the box members, said catches being adapted to engage the notches when the seat has been converted into a raft.

5. Deck seats for ships comprising two buoyant box-like members disposed side by Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the ca eds side and hinged together at their lower adjacent edges, a back member disposed on each box-like member, said back members being disposed back to back and hinged together at their upper edges, each back member being hinged to the upper adjacent edges of the box-like members, whereby the bottoms of the box-like members become adjacent opposing faces and the opposing adjacent faces of the boX-like members become the tops of the box-like members and the backs lie on said tops in a horizontal position when the deck seat is converted into a raft, slats hinged to the front of the boxlike members and means for locking said slats in folded-out position.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CUTHBERT RITSON.

Witnesses HERBERT HOWARD, GEORGE FoRsTER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

